Wednesday Walk: riding on express boat on a sunny day.

The sun was shining brightly and I needed a change of atmosphere. The express boat would give me the rush of exciting energy and alertness. The sensation of the long slender boat going through the sheet of water creating waves and splashes would be like music to my ears. So, I went to Sathorn pier by Chao Phraya River which is situated under Taksin Bridge and the skytrain station.

Last year renovation of pier made the whole pier looking very bright and modern with lots of seating area. This pier attracts lots of tourists as several luxury hotels situated under ten minutes’ walk away. The skytrain above the pier also makes it very convenient for tourists to arrive for their sightseeing programs on the river.

I was so glad to see more tourists at the pier. Things started to looking up for people in tourism. I could see eager smiles on the staff faces; they could feel more secured in their jobs.

I arrived at the pier late in the morning and had to wait almost thirty minutes for the next boat. I just missed the previous boat by a few minutes. So, I took the opportunity to walk around the pier and take photos of the surroundings. Luckily the staff there just let me walk into the pier and take photos as long as I wanted.

The warm sunshine pierce through my cotton shirt; I didn’t feel this ‘roasting’ sensation a long time ago. I would usually avoid the sunshine around noontime as it could give me a heat stroke on my head. My sensitive head worked like a thermometer so I had a cap for protection at all time. On a hot day, I would put a small towel in the freezer so that I could use it to cool my head down with cold towel. I couldn’t find any of my friends suffering seriously from heat stroke like me.

However I had been trying to build up my stamina over the years. But last year, I suffered badly from heat stroke as I worked in the garden during lunchtime. This taught me the limit of my weird biological threshold. That probably made my brain worked very differently; my hearing was considered acutely sensitive as I could hear sounds other couldn’t hear such as the sounds inside tree trunks. So, traveling on water at speed would raise my resonance and help clearing all the fuzzy thoughts inside my head. I was glad the boat arrived as soon as I finished taking my photos.

I always sit at at front near the driver so that I would have very clear view of both sides of the river. The weather was just right for sightseeing; the clear blue sky and bright sun seemed to intensify the natural vibes from the river. All the trees along the river looked deep green and old buildings seemed to be smiling in sunshine. My mood was hyped up in very hopeful and positive ways. The spirit became very calm with the assurance that all problems would find their solutions at the right time. Life became much more enjoyable and satisfying.

Looking at some low lying houses on the river bank, I wondered how they had to deal with high tides including flooding season. Several years ago, they had to released water from three dams in the north of the country. This caused severe and prolonged flooding in several provinces. I presumed that people couldn’t live in the first floor of their houses for almost three months. Two of my acquaintances’ houses were flooded in the middle of the night, they had to wade through chest’ height water towards rescuing boats. Lots of people had to rent houses and apartments for two months until the flooding water subsided.

But living by the river could be quite magical with nice views of sunrises and sunsets. The bustling activities on the river were also very entertaining with busy long boats and rice barges. But the noises of some speed boats at night could spoil the peaceful atmosphere sometimes. There’s such a contrast between the old section of Bangkok and the new or modern part of the city. The skyscrapers of the financial district could be seen as the express boat approached the old Bangkok where the old temples and buildings lined the riverbank.

I just hoped that Bangkok wouldn’t change so fast that old houses became new development projects. It would be a shame to see lots of skyscrapers along both sides of the river. Progress would come as a price! The rich investors would be happy with profitable prospects while small people would be at the mercy of uncertainty and unexpected changes in the future. But life will go on along with karmic rule and dynamics of the universe.

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.

#wednesdaywalk hosted by @tattoodjay.